Defining measures of kidney function in observational studies using routine health care data: methodological and reporting considerations.

The availability of electronic health records and access to a large number of routine measurements of serum creatinine and urinary albumin enhance the possibilities for epidemiologic research in kidney disease. However, the frequency of health care use and laboratory testing is determined by health status and indication, imposing certain challenges when identifying patients with kidney injury or disease, when using markers of kidney function as covariates, or when evaluating kidney outcomes. Depending on the specific research question, this may influence the interpretation, generalizability, and/or validity of study results.

Association between practice coding of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care and subsequent hospitalisations and death: a cohort analysis using national audit data.

Objective: To examine the association between practice percentage coding of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care with risk of subsequent hospitalisations and death.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using linked electronic healthcare records.

Setting: 637 general practitioner (GP) practices in England.

A systematic review of statistical methodology used to evaluate progression of chronic kidney disease using electronic healthcare records.

Background: Electronic healthcare records (EHRs) are a useful resource to study chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression prior to starting dialysis, but pose methodological challenges as kidney function tests are not done on everybody, nor are tests evenly spaced. We sought to review previous research of CKD progression using renal function tests in EHRs, investigating methodology used and investigators' recognition of data quality issues.

Methods And Findings: We searched for studies investigating CKD progression using EHRs in 4 databases (Medline, Embase, Global Health and Web of Science) available as of August 2021.

Feasibility of evaluation of the natural history of kidney disease in the general population using electronic healthcare records.

Background: Knowledge about the nature of long-term changes in kidney function in the general population is sparse. We aim to identify whether primary care electronic healthcare records capture sufficient information to study the natural history of kidney disease.

Methods: The National Chronic Kidney Disease Audit database covers ∼14% of the population of England and Wales.

How do primary care doctors in England and Wales code and manage people with chronic kidney disease? Results from the National Chronic Kidney Disease Audit.

Background: In the UK, primary care records are electronic and require doctors to ascribe disease codes to direct care plans and facilitate safe prescribing. We investigated factors associated with coding of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with reduced kidney function and the impact this has on patient management.

Methods: We identified patients meeting biochemical criteria for CKD (two estimated glomerular filtration rates <60 mL/min/1.

Accounting for overdispersion when determining primary care outliers for the identification of chronic kidney disease: learning from the National Chronic Kidney Disease Audit.

Background: Early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) facilitates best management in primary care. Testing coverage of those at risk and translation into subsequent diagnostic coding will impact on observed CKD prevalence. Using initial data from 915 general practitioner (GP) practices taking part in a UK national audit, we seek to apply appropriate methods to identify outlying practices in terms of CKD stages 3-5 prevalence and diagnostic coding.

Bayesian sample sizes for exploratory clinical trials comparing multiple experimental treatments with a control.

In this paper, a Bayesian approach is developed for simultaneously comparing multiple experimental treatments with a common control treatment in an exploratory clinical trial. The sample size is set to ensure that, at the end of the study, there will be at least one treatment for which the investigators have a strong belief that it is better than control, or else they have a strong belief that none of the experimental treatments are substantially better than control. This criterion bears a direct relationship with conventional frequentist power requirements, while allowing prior opinion to feature in the analysis with a consequent reduction in sample size.